24-04-2025
Tacoma cider bar named best in Northwest. Pair with addictive air-fried wings
In the two years since it reopened in a historic building in downtown Tacoma, Cider & Cedar has become more than just an ambassador for the drinkable version of Washington state's most important crop. It's also a watering hole in the true sense of the term — where regulars return to chat with owners Mia and Sterling Paradiso, dates stop for a space that feels special yet accessible, groups gather to discuss this month's book club title, and anyone (of age) can catch frequent live music.
Even better for cider lovers and those who remain skeptical (but shouldn't be!): a brief but impressive menu of better-than-bar-food snacks — all air-fried.
This spring, the American Cider Association took note, naming the Tacoma bar the best cider-focused establishment in the Northwest. Cider & Cedar joins winners in five other regions — East, Midwest, Mountain West, Pacific Coast and the South — on the 2025 list. Other categories include best retailer, distributor and hospitality advocate.
The awards purposely exclude the cideries themselves, instead drawing attention to 'those who have played pivotal roles in advancing the industry' and 'who have been instrumental in introducing cider to new audiences,' according to the trade group's website.
The winners were announced at the annual CiderCon, hosted in Chicago in February, but the Paradisos were unaware they had even been nominated until one day in March when a large envelope arrived in the mail.
For the Tacoma couple, the nod was an unexpected but appreciated recognition of a project many years in the making.
Mia fell in love with the fermented beverage, which fell behind beer in the United States amid 19th-century industrialization and immigration, while living in Europe, which never let it go. Sterling owns rural property near the Hoh Rainforest. With troves of fallen, old-growth cedar, they built tables and fixtures, including the signature hunk of Western Red Cedar that doubles as the tap wall, and developed a business plan. The first edition of Cider & Cedar opened in 2021 on Tacoma Avenue South and Sixth, moving to this much bigger storefront two years later. (Medzo Gelato took over that space, with The Crafty Beaver Bar next door.)
In their fifth year, they feel that maybe, just maybe, said Mia, 'This is our year.'
In mid-March, they were invited to a food-and-cider pairing event hosted by the ACA, in conjunction with the Northwest Cider Symposium. The next day, hundreds of producers, packagers, ingredient suppliers, bartenders and writers gathered at the Tacoma Convention Center for geeky conversations about agri-tourism, soil health and easy-to-grow varietals — a near-impossible quest as microclimates and a changing climate mess with success. What languishes on Vashon might thrive as near as Puyallup, as the owners (and farmers) of Dragon's Head Cider and Cockrell Hard Cider, respectively, outlined during one panel discussion.
The Northwest, reaching into British Columbia and Montana, is home to more than 200 cideries, according to the Northwest Cider Association. Producers still very much rely on their taprooms, often on their own orchards, to attract customers, as the golden drink remains a likely fourth-place behind beer, wine and cocktails nowadays. But a recent tap list at Cider & Cedar brought several ciders from both sides of the Cascades to the taps of Tacoma, from a luscious Kingston Black by Bauman's in Gervais, Oregon, to a habanero-lime from Channel Marker in Seattle and a hop-biscus from Archibald James in Wenatchee.
At the bar, the Paradisos have leaned into live music, hosting local artists most weekend nights and a cozy open mic on Thursdays. Wednesdays often offer trivia, and they also started a book club that meets every six weeks for a casual discussion and, ideally, cider. Special events have ranged from a New Year's Eve party to a Super Bowl hangout, and you can rent the space for your own special occasion.
On sunny days, the patio features more pretty pieces of salvaged cedar; their next big to-do is to finally replace the leaning chain-link fence with more aesthetically pleasing wood. Any time of year, though, the lounge-like bar itself is verdant: Plants, some rare, soak in northwestern light, hanging in windows, twirling over pipes, surrounding the performance nook, emerging from more rescued wood. Ask Zack Stockert, one of Sterling's oldest friends, their chef and resident botanist, for an informal tour.
There are 'easily 300 plants' and almost as many species, including 'philodendrons, alocasias, some rare anthuriums, some really weird cactuses, lots of ferns,' he explained on a Friday visit in early April.
Like Sterling, Stockert is a Jack of many trades. When he's not tending to the plants or pouring a pint, he's leading the kitchen.
'We love spicy here,' he said. 'We're trying to offer the food that we've all kinda grown up loving, but without the deep-fry. A lot of it is made from scratch.'
The commercial air fryer is similar to a convection oven in that it recirculates heat and doesn't require a hood. The technique 'really cuts down on the grease and lets the other flavors stand out,' added Stockert.
The Carolina sweet-heat wings are brined, rubbed with the Carolina spices, air-fried and at the end covered in a cherry, cranberry, habanero and lime glaze that lends an almost candied texture as they cool. The potato gets hit with a spicy homemade queso, and the Brussels sprouts — on a bed of whipped feta with garlic and lemon zest — a hot-honey chili crunch. The jalapeno poppers are an equally unexpected surprise, layered with chèvre and wrapped, to order, with bacon.
The snacks complement the mostly Northwest, mostly dry ciders here — the kind that will swap your skepticism with affection for this inspiring beverage. You, too, can learn your Kingston Blacks from your Newton Pippins, your Foxwhelps to your Dabinetts.
▪ 744 Market St., Tacoma,
▪ Wednesday-Thursday 4-10 p.m., Friday 4-11 p.m., Saturday 2-11 p.m.
▪ Details: Tacoma cider bar with primarily Northwest ciders and a couple beers on tap and bottle (retail growlers and to-go available), plus short menu of air-fried bar food
▪ Frequent events include live music, open mic, trivia and book club — check website for details
